Labour calls for adviser to be investigated over News Corp role

• Opponents want to know extent of Salmond’s offer to lobby Jeremy Hunt

• Sir Peter Housden asked to examine conduct of Geoff Aberdein

• Salmond’s relationship with Murdoch ‘good and business-like’

Geoffrey Aberdein was referred to Scotland’s most senior civil servant – Sir Peter Housden – who was asked to investigate whether the aide has broken the rules governing special advisers.

The Labour move came as Salmond took to the streets of Glasgow on Saturday to campaign ahead of the council elections in a key battleground.

Before hitting the campaign trail, he said: “I think Rupert Murdoch is one of the most substantial figures in journalism for the last 50 years so it would strike me as important to have a good and business-like relationship with him.”

But Labour, which is campaigning hard to keep control of Glasgow’s City Chambers, raised its concerns over the role of Salmond’s staff in developing links with Murdoch’s News Corporation. At the time it was attempting to get a majority shareholding on satellite TV broadcaster BSkyB, which has extensive commercial interests in Scotland.

Salmond’s dealings with Murdoch came into focus at the Leveson Inquiry into media ethics last week. During evidence from Murdoch’s son James, it emerged News Corp’s director of public affairs Frédéric Michel e-mailed him and said: “I met with Alex Salmond’s adviser today. He will call [Jeremy] Hunt whenever we need him to.”

The Scottish Government later revealed that the person referred to in the e-mail was civil servant Aberdein, special adviser to the First Minister.

Labour’s letter to Housden on Saturday suggested Aberdein should follow the example of Hunt’s special adviser, Adam Smith, who resigned after giving Michel details of private meetings the Culture Secretary had with regulators and opponents of News Corp’s planned takeover.

“It is difficult to see the difference between the case of Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt’s adviser Adam Smith who quit and Alex Salmond’s adviser, Geoff Aberdein, who hasn’t,” said Labour chief whip James Kelly. “In his resignation statement Smith said he had exceeded his boss’s authority with his claims to the Murdochs so he quit. In evidence to Leveson, it was heard that Aberdein told the Murdochs Salmond would lobby the UK government on the Murdochs’ behalf whenever they wanted him to. Salmond denied that. If the First Minister is to be believed that means Aberdein exceeded his authority yet he hasn’t resigned.”

A Scottish Government spokesman said: “Contact between Mr Aberdein and News Corp representatives has been within the Special Adviser Code of Conduct – we will respond to the letter once it has been received.”